


5 times it sounded like Gavin and Connor were having sex and the 1 time they actually were

by TearStainedAshes



Series: It's a Sign [2]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, Awkward Sexual Situations, Fluff, Humor, Implied Sexual Content, Innuendo, M/M, Suggestive Dialogue, nsfw-ish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-06
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2020-02-27 05:34:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18732631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TearStainedAshes/pseuds/TearStainedAshes
Summary: The title says it all. Rated M for mature language and general awkwardness.





	1. You promised it wouldn't hurt!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge, huge, _huge_ thanks to everyone in the Convin discord for giving me the idea for this, and the [art](https://sholtooxenstierna.tumblr.com/post/184644174832/humanau-where-connor-and-gavin-are-students) that fueled it.

“Con’s gonna be so excited to see you, Ricky.” 

“Yeah, it’s been far too long.” He stepped out of the car and stretched his arms over his head, feeling his spine pop back into place between his shoulders. “Is it true he’s actually got a boyfriend now?”

“I’ll let him tell ya about him,” he said as he passed Richard his luggage. “He’s… something.”

“Something good or something bad?”

“You’ll find out soon enough,” he grumbled, pushing open the front door. “He’s spending the holiday with us. Apparently his home life isn’t the greatest.”

“Oh.” Richard set his bags down by the door and crouched down to give Sumo a scratch behind his ears, the big Saint Bernard having ambled over to greet them.

“Con! I’m home!” Hank called out, heading into the kitchen to make some coffee.

“Fuck! Pull it out! Pull it out!”

“Was that… Connor?” Richard asked, standing up and staring at their dad.

“Sure as hell sounded like it.”

“Connor!”

“Pull it out!”

“C’mon, man. Fuck, I’m so close.”

“And that must be the boyfriend,” Richard mused, shaking his head.

“Yeah, that’s him.”

“The hole’s the size of Texas now! I’m fucking dying over here!”

“Shit, stop whining! I’m almost done!”

“You told them you’d be back by 9, right?” Richard asked, looking up the stairs toward Connor’s room. 

“Yeah, they knew,” Hank sighed. “Didn’t mean they wouldn’t try anything or be quick about it.”

“You promised it wouldn’t hurt!”

“I gotta go up there,” Richard groaned, sliding a hand down his face. “This is just embarrassing.”

“Nah. Lemme do it. I’m the parent after all.” He straightened up and took a steadying breath. “You go unpack. I’ll get them down here soon enough.”

“You’re a far braver man than I,” Richard joked. He grabbed his luggage and trudged up the stairs, Hank not far behind. Richard disappeared into the room at the far end of the hall, leaving his door open to snoop. Hank approached the door at the top of the stairs and paused.

“Well, I was fucking with you,” he heard Gavin grumble. “It was fine with the other one. Why’s this one so much worse?”

“Because it’s bigger!”

_ Oh, no. _

“It’s the same size as the other one! We made sure of it at the shop!”

_ Oh, god, no. _

“Then why’s it hurt so fucking much?”

“I don’t fucking know! Just hold still and let me put it in.”

That did it. Hank grabbed the doorknob, surprised to find it unlocked, and pushed the door open so it slammed against the wall. He’d expected to find the two of them in a compromising position, maybe a few toys lying around. But what he was greeted with was Connor under Gavin on the bed, but neither of them were naked. Instead, Connor’s head was propped up on pillows and Gavin was bent over him, holding what looked like an earring. When had Connor gotten his ear pierced?

“Oh!” Connor gasped. “Hi, Dad! Is Ricky home?”

“Yeah, he’s here,” he muttered, dumbfounded. “What the fuck are you two doin’?”

“Trying to get a new ring in,” Connor explained as he pointed up to Gavin, “but genius here bought the wrong size.”

“It’s the same fucking size!” he insisted. “You’re just being a baby!”

“I am not!”

“Oh my god!” Hank cried in exasperation. “Just hurry the fuck up and get downstairs. I’ll be making coffee. Preferably with whiskey mixed in because I’m too fucking old for this bullshit.” He turned away and walked back down the stairs, grumbling to himself.

“You’ve been sober for 15 years, Dad!” Connor called after him. “Don’t give up now!” Gavin groaned above him and Connor turned to look at him.

“Shame, shame, Gavin,” he purred teasingly. “Can’t even put a little thing into a hole properly.”

“Oh my god,” he whined. “Shut the fuck up. I’m breaking up with you.”

“You would never.”

“Don’t fucking test me.”

“You love me too much. You couldn’t hurt me like-- OW!”

“Got it!” Gavin cried in triumph. Connor clamped his hand over his ear and hissed, wriggling beneath him.

“That fucking hurt, you asshole!”

“Takes one to know one,” Gavin teased, leaning down to kiss Connor’s cheek. He playfully batted him away but squealed with laughter as Gavin began blowing raspberries on his neck. He wiggled around until he was on his back, Gavin’s hands pressing his own against the mattress. He gasped and licked his lips, his gaze traveling down to Gavin’s mouth and back up. Gavin let go of Connor’s hands to cradle his face as he pulled him in for a kiss and Connor’s arms wrapped around his shoulders, his fingers tangling in his hair.

“Are you two done?” Richard asked, interrupting their little makeout session. 

“Ricky!” Connor pushed Gavin off him, ignoring his cry of protest, and ran over to his brother, enveloping him in a hug, which was promptly returned. “I missed you so much! How was Italy?”

“It was absolutely wonderful, but I’ll tell you more over breakfast.” He looked past him at Gavin who was still tangled in the sheets.

“Gavin’s family’s from Italy,” Connor told him excitedly, practically bouncing in place. “You two’ll have a lot to talk about!”

“Oh, I’m sure we will,” Richard said with a smirk, making Gavin gulp. He turned around and wrapped an arm around Connor’s shoulders, leading him toward the stairs. “But tell me about him before he gets a chance to interrupt. I want to know  _ everything _ .”


	2. Jesus, fuck! It's so fucking hard!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this on my phone while at my brother's birthday lunch. So any mistakes are my own and autocorrect's fault.

“Three cheers for the freakin’ weekend!” Markus cheered as he and Simon walked into the apartment.

“You can say that again!” Simon groaned as he flopped down on the futon, toeing off his shoes and tossing them across the room. “Why was this week so fucking long?”

“Graduation is getting closer and closer,” Markus crooned, leaning over his boyfriend to steal a kiss. “They’ve gotta work us to the bone before the end.”

“They really don’t,” Simon groaned. “I wish they wouldn’t.”

“At least we only have a few months left,” Markus pointed out. He nudged Simon’s shoulders and he sat up so Markus could sit down. Markus pulled him back down so his head was on his lap and began running his fingers through his hair.

“That’s a good poi--”

“ _ Fuck! _ ”

Simon and Markus froze, Markus turning to look toward the outburst.

“Was that Connor?” Simon asked, sitting up onto his elbows to also look around.

“It sounded like it…”

“If you would just  _ hold still _ ,” Gavin growled, “we wouldn’t be having this problem!”

“Oh my god,” Markus whispered, face paling. “Are they--?”

“Well if  _ you’d _ just read the  _ fucking _ directions,” Connor shot back, “we’d be done by now!”

“Oh, so it’s  _ my _ fault?!”

“You’re the one not pulling their weight!”

“You take that back!”

“No!”

A scuffle could be heard and suddenly there was a loud groan. Markus blushed from the tips of his ears down to his toes. He hid his face in his hands and shook his head.

“Jesus,  _ fuck! _ ” Connor cried. “It’s so fucking  _ hard! _ ”

“I need to intervene before it gets worse,” Simon muttered, standing up and walking over to Connor's room.

“Si, no!” But he’d already pushed open the door.

“Um… everything alright in here?” he asked, surveying the scene.

Gavin and Connor were on the floor, various parts to a half-built bookshelf scattered around them. Connor’s hair was in disarray and Gavin was lying spread eagle on the floor, groaning.

“Why can’t IKEA make simple fucking instructions?!” Connor cried, looking up at Simon.

“If they did, they wouldn’t be IKEA,” Simon supplied with a shrug. “You two want help? Markus and I are home now.”

“Oh my god, yes,  _ please _ ,” Connor begged, getting up onto his knees and clasping his hands. “You’re an engineer! You can help us plebs figure this out!”


	3. Fucking give it to me!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, this was written on my phone. So please excuse any errors.
> 
> Also, Tina is my favorite.

“Thanks for walking me back, Red,” Tina said, pausing in front of her apartment building.

“It’s no trouble, Sprout,” North teased, ruffling her girlfriend’s hair.

“Stop that.” Tina swatted at her hands and tried to comb out her hair.

“Sorry. You’re just” –she bent down and kissed the top of her head– “so cute.”

“Stop that,” she repeated before pulling North down for a proper kiss. She giggled against her lips and ran her fingers through her hair before cradling her face.

“I’ll see you at lunch tomorrow?” Tina asked when they pulled away.

“Of course.” North kissed her one more time before standing up to her full height. “Have a good night, Sprout.”

“You too, Big Red.”

She laughed and waved as she walked away, tightening her scarf around her neck. Tina walked into the building and rode the elevator up to the fifth floor. After fishing her keys out of her bag she walked over to her door and stepped inside, the warmth of the apartment rushing over her. But her calm reverie was broken by a loud grunt from her roommate.

“For fuck’s sake, Connor! Get your elbow out of my face! You’re blocking my view!”

“Sorry, sorry!”

“What the fuck is going on?” Tina muttered to herself. She shed her coat and hung it up by the door, draping her scarf over it. After toeing off her boots she ventured closer to Gavin’s bedroom door, trying to keep her footsteps light.

“It’s not working!” Gavin cried in frustration.

“What do you mean it’s not working? Let me try.”

“No, I got it.”

Silence.

“Maybe the batteries are dead?” Connor suggested.

“Fucking piece of shit!” Tina could hear something repeatedly hitting the wall and Connor’s yelp of surprise shocked even her.

“Gav, stop! You’ll break it!”

“You try it since you’re so fucking smart!”

“Christ,” Connor grumbled. She pressed her ear to the door and heard a soft beeping noise. “There! Got it! Put it right there.”

She flinched away when more pounding could be heard. She _really_ hoped it wasn’t the bed ramming against the wall.

“There! Done!” Gavin cried triumphantly.

“It’s not hung right!” Connor protested.

“What do you mean? It looks fine!”

“It’s tilted to the left!”

“It is not! It’s perfectly straight!”

“Unlike everyone else in the room,” Connor murmured, making Gavin snort. Tina had to give it to him, that was a good one.

“Please, let me fix it,” Connor begged.

“No! It’s fine.”

“It is not! Now give me the toy!”

“It’s not a toy! It’s a–”

“Fucking give it to me!”

“Ah! Connor! Stop! Let go! Ow! You’re hurting me!”

Oh, shit, that didn’t sound good.

“Gavin?! What the fuck?!” Tina demanded, crashing into the room.

Gavin and Connor looked over at her, both of them panting. Connor had one of his hands pressing Gavin’s face into the wall while the other scrabbled for some sort of device, which Gavin was holding just out of reach. She looked past them and noticed a framed poster hung haphazardly on the wall.

“What?” Gavin said, pushing himself and the device away from Connor. He huffed and straightened out his t-shirt. Connor pouted and crossed his arms over his chest.

“What the fuck are you two doing?”

“Trying to hang some shit up,” he explained with a shrug.

“But Gav doesn’t know how to use a stud finder,” Connor grumbled.

“Sure I do! Watch!” He placed the device on Connor’s chest and made a rapid beeping sound. “See! Got a stud right here!”

“Gavin, oh my god.” Connor’s face turned beet red and he pulled his hood up over his head, tightening the drawstrings until it almost completely covered his face. He crouched down into a ball and Gavin just laughed, leaning against the wall for balance.

“You two are so embarrassing!” Tina groaned.


	4. Is it supposed to be this sticky?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Josh is the next victim and it's almost St. Patrick's Day. Everything is sticky and green.

Josh groaned and sat back, straightening out his spine. He’d been bent over his desk for far too long and now he was paying for it. But he had to get his lesson plan reorganized before morning. Simon and Markus had gone to Oscoda to use Simon’s family’s condo for the weekend to celebrate Markus’s birthday, so he’d had the apartment relatively to himself. Connor and North would come and go, but he’d had a decently quiet weekend to study his teaching materials.

He stretched his arms over his head and groaned. He needed to move around for a while, take a break, come back to his work with fresh eyes. His stomach growled and he scoffed to himself. He added “eat something” to his mental list. After pushing himself away from the desk, he ambled out to the kitchen and pulled a frozen dinner out to cook. Sure, it wasn’t the healthiest option, but everything in it was organic so he figured the pros far outweighed the cons.

He checked the time as he turned the oven on to pre-heat. It was already nearing midnight, but thankfully his class didn’t start until mid-afternoon. So he could afford to stay up a little longer and take the time to eat his meal. He walked back to his room to grab his phone from its charging station and checked for missed messages. Markus and Simon had sent him some photos of the scenery and updates on their snowed in situation, it looked like they wouldn’t be back until St. Patrick’s Day at the earliest. But thankfully they still had heat and electricity and enough food to last them a few more days. He just hoped they survived the drive back.

A loud thud drew his attention to the far wall, Connor’s room being on the other side.

“Shit! Pickit up ‘fore it gets sticky!”

Gavin was there too? And he sounded very, _very_ drunk. Josh sighed and rolled his eyes, pocketing his phone. That could only mean one thing.

“I gotit!” Connor cried, laughing.

“It still on?”

“Yep!”

“Cool. Now g’back here.” Connor laughed again and Josh heard a soft thump, imagining it was Connor flopping back onto his bed. Gavin was laughing too, which was interrupted by a loud snort. Connor’s laughter increased in volume and he couldn’t help but chuckle himself.

“Con! Con! Sit up! Yer… yer in the shit.”

“Oh, fuck.” He laughed again. “Shit. Is it supposed to be this sticky?”

“I dunno.” Josh ventured closer and cringed when he heard a sickening squelch. “Prolly not, though.”

“Add more of the… the white stuff,” Connor said. “Might help.”

“White stuff?” Josh whispered to himself before he heard a cap being opened and tossed across the room, hitting the door. He heard a few plops of something thick landing in a liquid and shuddered, suppressing a gag. Even more loud squelching sounds could be heard after that and he had to cover his ears, praying to whatever deities that might be out there to save his poor soul.

“Iz still sticky!” Connor complained. “Add the… the water. That should make it… not sticky.”

_Water? Why the fuck are they using water?_

Connor squealed when the water splashed onto or into something.

“You did that on purpose!” he cried, laughing.

“Did not!”

“Did so!”

“Hold up.” He heard yet another squelching noise, but it sounded like it was being scooped up into something. “Don’t you dare!”

Something wet landed near the wall, startling Josh enough for him to jump back away from the door.

“Con! You bastard!”

“Karma’s a bitch, Gav!” he cried.

“Not the face! _Fuck!_ ”

“Oh, shit! Sorry!”

“Oh, _god_ , it tastes awful!” Gavin gagged.

“Why’re you eating it then?”

“You’re the one that put it in my mouth!”

He couldn’t take it anymore. It was too embarrassing for them to _not_ know he was still awake and could hear everything they were saying. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

“Con?”

“Yeah?” He heard more giggles followed by even more squishy sounds.

“Fuck, it’s in my hair,” Gavin whined.

“Are you two… alright… in there?”

“It’s everywhere!” Connor cried, laughing loudly. “It’s so sticky! I’m gonna be finding glitter for days!”

“Glitter?” Josh finally opened the door and really wished he hadn’t.

There was green glitter and some sort of liquidy green substance scattered on the floor. Connor and Gavin had some of the substance dripping down their faces but Gavin was frantically trying to wipe it off.

“What are you guys doing?”

“We wanted t’ make slime!” Connor cried, showing Josh his green-stained hands.

“Drunk!” Gavin added, raising a glass of what Josh assumed to be whiskey. He quickly downed the whole thing and grimaced.

“Yeah!” Connor cried enthusiastically. “Cuz it’s St. Paddy’s!”

“That’s not until Tuesday,” Josh grumbled.

“Whatever,” Connor scoffed at him, swaying only slightly. “And we wanted t’ film it.”

He looked over to the camera, which also had some of the slime on the tripod. That must have been what had fallen earlier because the slime was far thicker on the tripod than what was in their hair. The camera was still rolling though, which was impressive.

“Don’t you have class in the morning, Connor?” Josh asked.

“No. Iz Sunday.”

“It’s after midnight, Con. It’s Monday.”

“Fuck!” Gavin fell over laughing just as the oven beeped.

“Shit. I gotta go. Oven’s ready. You two should clean up. Shower. Go to sleep.”

Connor smirked and looked over at Gavin. “Wanna shower with me, babe?”

“Hey! Only I can call you that!”

“Iz a nicky-name! You don’t own it!”

Josh groaned and walked away. He’d let them fight it out alone. He desperately needed food and he wasn’t going to wait around for them to get their shit together.

Thankfully he heard them stumble out into the bathroom, the shower turning on a moment later. Someone yelped at the temperature of the water but it quieted down to giggles soon enough.

And then there was silence. Blissful silence.

But then it was _too_ quiet. Josh looked back at the oven timer and saw there were five minutes remaining on his food, and it took 45 minutes to bake. They’d been in the shower for 40 minutes, and it had been silent for at least the past 20 with the shower still running. Something wasn’t right.

Taking a deep breath, he ventured back toward Connor’s room and walked over to the bathroom door. It was open a crack and a large puff of steam billowed out. He gently knocked before pushing the door open further, noticing the lack of clothing on the floor.

_Did they go in fully clothed? Drunken fools._

Something shifted in the tub and a soft groan followed it. So they were still in there. Shaking the jitters from his hands, he grabbed the edge of the shower curtain and pulled it away, praying they were decent.

They were curled up in the bottom of the tub, the hot water raining down on them. Connor’s legs were curled up tight so he could fit his long body in the short tub, Gavin pressed along his back and snoring slightly. They were still fully clothed and still a little green, but it looked like the worst of it had been washed away. Josh sighed in relief and snapped a few photos to show them later. He closed the curtain after, but kept the water on. He wouldn’t force them to stumble out while still drunk and sopping wet. They were safer to stay right where they were. Connor would just have to pay more of the water bill that month.


	5. I told you they'd be too big!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we are finally at Mama Bear North! She's got some shit to say to these two idiots.

North barged in the door and slammed it shut. She walked into the living room and dropped her things on the floor before flopping onto the couch. Work had been hell, but thankfully her morning class had been canceled. She sighed in relief and rested further into the cushions, her legs draped over the arm.

“Home at last,” she murmured to herself. 

She went to stretch out completely but remembered she still had her boots on. Groaning, she turned over onto her back so she could pull her knees in toward her chest. She unzipped her knee-high boots and unceremoniously dropped them onto the floor along with the rest of her stuff. She sighed as she stretched out on the cushions once more, gently rotating her ankles until the joints popped. Her eyes slipped shut and she sighed deeply, feeling her entire body relax now that the tension had been broken.

She dozed for maybe ten minutes before she was rudely awoken by the sound of something heavy scraping against the wood floor. She jolted awake and looked around, trying to find the source of the noise. A sudden, loud thud told her it came from Connor’s room, and he wasn’t alone.

“Jesus, Con! Slow down!”

“Sorry! Sorry. I’m just excited.”

“Yeah, I know, but we don’t want to break the bed.”

_ Oh,  _ **_fuck_ ** _ no. _ She sat up, trying to bring herself to actually barge over and demand they stop fucking at once to save her the mortification of hearing them.

“We aren’t gonna break it,” she heard Connor groan, perfectly imagining the eye roll she knew he had thrown at Gavin. 

“Well, at the rate you’re going we just might,” Gavin grumbled in reply.

“Oh, shut up.”

“Make me.”

North groaned and covered her ears, not wanting to hear Gavin’s reply to  _ that _ line. She waited a few minutes before daring to let her hands fall, praying the worst was over.

“I told you they’d be too big!” Gavin grunted.

“Fuck off! No they’re not!” Connor protested. “Now stop squirming and let me fix it!”

“It’s not going to fit!”

“Not with that attitude it won’t!”

“I told you to go with the smaller set! But  _ noooooo! _ You  _ had _ to have the blue ones!”

“They were prettier!” Connor argued.

“Well, pretty won’t make them fit!”

“Just… fold it in half. It’ll fit.”

“No it fucking won’t! Folding it will just make it bulkier!”

“Then we’ll use the straps! They’ll make them fit tighter.”

“You should’ve just bought the right fucking size in the first place!” Gavin griped. “So what if the purple ones weren’t as pretty? At least they’d have fucking fit!”

“Because they’re for  _ me _ to use and not  _ you _ ,” Connor countered. 

She couldn't take it anymore. She growled and stood up, stalking over to his door. She rammed her fist against it twice before opening it.

“Connor!” North cried, practically ripping the door off its hinges. “What the  _ fuck _ are you two doing in here?”

They looked over to her, a blue fitted sheet stretched between them as they tugged it from either side of the mattress. Connor huffed and let go, making Gavin stumble back a few steps from the sudden lack of resistance. 

“We’re  _ trying _ to get my new sheets on my bed,” he grumbled.

“But Con bought the wrong fuckin’ size all cuz he didn’t like the color of the other set,” Gavin chimed in, tossing the fitted sheet onto the mattress.

“Purple isn’t my color!” Connor argued, glaring at his boyfriend.

“They’re fucking bed sheets! No one fucking cares!”

“ _ I _ care!”

“Oh my god _ , _ just  _ shut up! _ ” North hollered, causing them to look at her again. “Are you two  _ purposefully  _ trying to piss everyone off?” she demanded, placing her hands on her hips. 

“Huh?” Gavin grunted, his brows creasing.

“Last month it was Josh, and before that it was Tina,” she explained, ticking off names with her fingers. “Then Si and Markus, and before even them it was your own dad and brother! What’re you guys up to?”

“We aren’t  _ up _ to anything,” Connor insisted. “What are you even talking about?”

“All the fucking innuendos!” she cried, throwing her hands up in exasperation. “The earring and the bookshelf and the posters and the drunk sludge!”

“It was supposed to be slime,” Connor grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest and pouting. “And I'm  _ still _ finding glitter in places glitter should never be.”

“I don’t fucking care! I just want to know what the fuck is going on! Are you  _ trying _ to make it sound like you’re having sex?”

Gavin scoffed and shook his head. “Trust me, you’d know when we were actually having sex.”

“Gav, no,” Connor whined, his whole face turning a deep crimson.

“I don’t want to fucking hear it,” North growled, pointing a finger at him. “Keep it in your pants, or my threat from a year ago becomes a reality. But now I’m going to make you drink your blended and liquified balls for putting us all through this mortifying shit show.”


	6. Is this seat taken?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've reached the end! Finally! This chapter is almost 1k longer than the five previous chapters combined, so I hope you enjoy the ride! This was so much fun and I hope to do more fics like this in the future. I think I've found my niche: fluffy, smutty, humor.

“You can see the stage alright?” Connor asked. He bounced on the balls of his feet and wrung his hands in front of him, looking from his brother to the stage and back.

“For the last time, _yes_ ,” Richard assured him. He brought his camera up to his face to double check, since he knew Connor would be even more restless if he didn’t. He changed the white balance and aperture before deeming it good and lowered it so he could smile down at Connor.

“I just…” Connor blushed and looked away, his hand coming up to squeeze his bicep. “He’s not gonna have any photos of today since his family’s not here,” he mumbled. “I want him to have something to remember this by.”

“I understand, Con,” Richard assured him, placing a hand on his shoulder and squeezing. “I’ll get so many photos for him, and of him, I promise.”

“Thanks.” He smiled at him and the tension in his shoulders eased a bit, but he still held onto his bicep. “Well, at least your photography major is finally being put to good use,” he joked.

“What? You mean _other_ than my spread in _Century_?” Richard teased, smirking at Connor as his jaw dropped.

“ _You got it?!_ ” he cried, grabbing his brother’s arms and bouncing up and down.

“I got it,” he confirmed, laughing at his little brother’s excitement.

“Richard! Oh my god! That’s amazing!” He pulled him in for a hug, being mindful of the camera in his hands. Richard hugged him back with his free arm, Connor’s joy infectious.

“I’m so proud of you,” Connor whispered, hugging his brother tighter.

“Thanks, Con,” Richard whispered back, returning the tight squeeze.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Connor asked as he pulled away, wiping at his eyes.

“I didn’t want to overshadow your boyfriend’s graduation,” he answered with a shrug.

“How long have you known?”

“A… a week,” he mumbled, hanging his head.

“ _Richard!_ ”

“Gavin is more important right now, Con!” he argued, glancing at him beneath his bangs.

“Still! This is a big deal!” He gently punched him in the shoulder, making him laugh. He rubbed at his arm and shook his head, straightening up to his full height. “We have even more of a reason to celebrate at the party tonight.”

“We can celebrate my spread when it’s finally published,” he countered. “Tonight is about your friends graduating. Please?”

“Ricky,” Connor huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Connor, please,” he begged. “I want the magazine in my hands first, OK? And then I can give everyone copies.”

“ _Signed_ copies,” Connor bargained.

“Deal.” They shook on it and Richard turned his attention back to the stage, double checking the camera settings. More people were beginning to file into the bleachers and Connor looked out across the auditorium at the seats for the graduating class. He couldn’t believe he’d be there in a couple short years. Or sooner if he could help it. After seeing how large the graduating class was for the arts last weekend at Markus’s graduation, he was even more excited to walk and be among so many people who had worked as hard as he had to get where they were. Simon and Josh were also graduating, but their times were after Gavin’s. Connor wanted to support them too, but they had assured him that if he could only make it to one ceremony then it had better be Gavin’s.

Suddenly, the college marching band began to play, signaling the ceremony was beginning. Connor gasped and gripped Richard’s arm, his eyes rapidly scanning the crowd as the graduating class entered. The ones receiving their doctorates walked in first, followed by the masters students. Finally, the bachelors class entered and Richard brought the camera up to his face to zoom in on the crowd, hoping to get a few shots of Gavin as he made his way to his seat. He must have spotted him because the shutter began clicking rapidly, but Connor couldn’t see what Richard could with the zoom capabilities of his camera. He stopped after a couple of minutes and pulled the camera away, immediately going through the gallery to see if he got any decent shots.

“Look,” he whispered, tilting the camera toward Connor. He looked down and his breath left him in a rush. There Gavin was, making his way to his seat with the proudest smirk on his face. Richard flipped to the next photo and Gavin’s eyes had flicked over to the side, having noticed the two of them standing on the mezzanine. The next photo showed Gavin with a shit-eating grin, and in the next he was flipping off the camera. Connor snorted and shook his head. Of course he would, the asshole. God, he loved him. Richard flipped to one more photo where Gavin had laughed at his own antics, his head thrown back and his hand clasped over his chest. Connor felt his heart skip a beat at the sight. He wanted that photo framed.

He barely listened to the president of the university as she gave the same speech she had at Markus’s graduation ceremony Sunday afternoon. He was scanning the crowd for Gavin’s cap that they’d slaved over for hours to decorate. The yellow “[ CAUTION ](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/12596073934875984/?lp=true) ” tape they’d wrapped around one end of the cap really made him stand out, and the glint of the handcuffs in the low light certainly helped. It had taken them _ages_ to get the cuffs to stay on, and he was just happy to see all their hard work had been worth it. He elbowed Richard in the ribs and pointed toward the cap. His brother nodded and took more photos, zooming in as far as he could to get the details of it.

And then the students were lining up, going row by row, their names and the degrees they’d earned being read out. Connor gasped again when Gavin’s row stood and shuffled down the line toward the stage. He grabbed Richard’s arm and squeezed, clamping a hand over his mouth to keep himself from crying out. He was practically vibrating with excitement, which made his brother chuckle. Richard got some more shots of Gavin waiting in line, getting even more detail shots of the cap with his back turned toward them.

Finally, it was Gavin’s turn. He walked over to the faculty member reading off the names and turned to grin up at the camera. Richard snapped a few more photos. And finally, _finally_ , his moment came:

“Gavin Reed, Criminal Justice and Sociology.”

Connor screamed and cheered, clapping his hands as loudly as he could. He jumped up and down and cried Gavin’s name, tears streaming down his face. Gavin accepted the scroll and flipped his tassel from the right to the left before heading back to his seat. He was officially a college graduate. He was going to the police academy. He was… he was leaving. Connor covered his mouth again and his tears were no longer happy. Richard gently pulled him in against his side, squeezing him close.

“Let’s get outside,” he whispered, his hand gently rubbing Connor’s arm. “We’ll meet him out there and I’ll get better photos, OK?” Connor nodded and allowed Richard to lead him out of the auditorium and into the cool May air. He took them over to a bench and they sat down, Connor leaning against him.

“What time does this ceremony end?” Richard asked, hoping to distract Connor.

“Two-thirty,” he mumbled, wiping at his eyes.

“OK. And what time is it now?”

Connor sniffed and checked his watch. “Two-fifteen.”

“Good. That’s good. Oh!” He waved at someone and squeezed Connor’s hand. “Tina and North are here.”

“Connor!” North cried, rushing over to him. She knelt in front of him and took his hands, squeezing them tight. “What’s wrong?”

“He’s gonna leave,” he choked out, shoulders shaking. Tina sat beside him so he was sandwiched between her and Richard.

“Gav’s not going anywhere, Con,” she assured him, gently rubbing his back. “You’ll still see him.”

“It won’t be the same,” he whispered, wiping at his eyes. North stood up and tilted his face up to look at her, his eyes squinting against the sunlight.

“You listen to me, Connor Patrick Anderson,” she said sternly. “You are not going to lose tears over this imaginary scenario where Gavin moves away and forgets about you.” Connor whined, his bottom lip trembling. “Sure, you may not see each other as often, but when you do that’ll just make it even more special. He loves you, and you love him, and you’re going to make this work or else I’ll kill him.” Connor snorted and wiped away the last of his tears. She smiled at him and ruffled his hair.

“Thanks, North,” he mumbled, leaning into her in an awkward hug. She huffed a laugh and hugged him back as best she could given he was still sitting down. He felt Richard and Tina pull away and noticed it had grown a lot louder. Was the ceremony over? Where was Gavin? He pulled away and looked around, letting go of North.

“Is this seat taken?” a voice behind him asked. He gasped and shot up, turning around to see Gavin behind him.

“Gav!” he cried, hopping over the bench to hug him. They stumbled back a few steps from the force of it, but Gavin managed to catch them before they bumped into other students. He hugged him tight, burying his face in his purple graduation hood, and cried all over again.

“Hey, Con, what’s wrong?” Gavin asked, returning the hug.

“It’s stupid,” he mumbled, clinging to him.

“You wanna talk about it?”

“No.” He sniffled and wiped at his eyes. “Well… not yet.”

“OK.” He pulled away and smoothed Connor’s hair out of his face, smiling at him. Connor laughed and wiped the tears away, his eyes bloodshot. “You alright?”

“I… I think so,” he mumbled, his face flushed red. Gavin smiled softly at him and cupped his face in his hands, running his thumbs over his cheeks. Connor relaxed immediately and rested his forehead against Gavin’s. Connor heard the shutter of Richard’s camera again, but neither of them pulled away.

“Ricky got some photos of you getting your diploma,” he whispered, his hands sliding away from Gavin’s shoulders to rest on his waist. “But I’d like to get more.”

“More of what, exactly?”

“Of you,” he whispered. “Of us.”

“I think your brother’s already taking care of that one,” he murmured. Connor chuckled and pulled away, squeezing Gavin’s hips.

“Yeah, but I want _more_ ,” he whined.

“And I want some for myself,” Gavin added. He let go of Connor’s face to unzip the stuffy graduation gown and fanned himself, fake gasping for air. Connor laughed and covered his face with his hands.

“Here, Richy,” Gavin said, passing Richard his phone. “When you’re done taking photos for Connor would you take some for me? I need to share this moment for posterity.”

“Of course.” He took the phone and pocketed it before raising his own camera back up. “Ready when you are, Con.”

“Is it obvious I’ve been crying?” Connor asked as Gavin pulled him to his side, wrapping an arm around his waist.

“Not really, but anything glaringly obvious I can fix in post,” he assured him.

“Just don’t take away my freckles,” he grumbled, allowing Gavin to pull his arm over his shoulders.

“I would never,” he teased with a smirk. “Now go on and pose, boys.”

Gavin held Connor closer to his side and they smiled at the camera. They easily transitioned into the standard kissing couple pose, Gavin’s left hand holding onto his cap to keep it from slipping off his head. Connor smiled into the kiss, his right arm still draped over Gavin’s shoulders and his left pressed between them as his hand rested along Gavin’s neck, his thumb rubbing along his jaw. Gavin even put his cap on Connor’s head for a couple of photos, making him tear up at the thought of them getting to do this all over again in a couple of years.

A strong gust of wind interrupted them, blowing Gavin’s gown behind him like a cape. He yelled out and Connor gripped the cap so it didn’t blow away and laughed. Richard snapped as many photos as he could before the wind died down.

“Anything else?” he asked.

“Yeah. I got one,” Gavin huffed as he straightened out the gown. He took his cap off Connor’s head and held it out toward the camera so it could read the text. “Con. C’mere.”

He was pulled into another kiss and he closed his eyes, reaching out to hold one end of the cap as Richard snapped more photos. Gavin let go of his end of the cap after a moment and reached up to hold Connor’s face in his hands, pressing himself closer to his body. Connor wrapped his arms around Gavin’s waist, still holding onto the cap, and melted against him, the kiss both a comfort and a promise.

“Alright, I think we’re good!” North shouted after a long moment, making Connor snort. He pulled away and covered his mouth with his hand, still laughing. He and Gavin both were blushing hard, but everyone was laughing and still having a good time.

“It’s my turn, Con,” Tina said as she bounded over to them, shooing him away. He laughed and walked over to North, taking her arm and squeezing it. They watched Tina and Gavin werk for the camera. Connor was laughing the whole time, to the point where he was actually crying. Finally Richard took some headshots, both serious and silly. But mostly because Gavin couldn’t help himself.

“Alright, come take a look,” Richard said, holding Gavin’s phone out to him. He and Connor walked over and Gav flipped through his phone gallery while Richard and Connor looked at the ones on his camera.

“How long will it take you to edit these?” Gavin asked as Richard flipped through more photos.

“A couple of hours probably,” he murmured. “Once I find the ones I want to keep, it’ll mostly just be color correction and minor blemish edits. Shouldn’t take long.”

“Awesome.” He grinned and clapped him on the back before stepping away. “C’mon, Con. Let’s get back to your place and get ready for the afterparty.”

“Bye, guys!” Connor yelled at their friends, turning to wave as they headed toward Gavin’s car. “Tell Markus, Simon, and Josh I said ‘congrats!’”

“Will do!” North yelled back.

“And I’m adding these photos to my online portfolio!” Richard shouted after them.

“Sweet! Thanks!” Gavin hollered back. “Make me famous!”

“No promises!”

**…::-::…**

“Kara! Luther!” Simon cried as he opened the door. “Come in! Come in! Oh! And this must be little Alice!”

“Hi! Sorry we’re so late,” Kara apologized as she hugged Simon with her free arm.

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Simon assured her, kissing her cheek before letting her go. The three of them made their way into the already crowded apartment, Kara cradling Alice in her arms. She gave Markus a one-armed hug before passing Alice over to him so she could greet everyone else. Simon and Markus cooed over the baby girl who stared up at them with wide eyes.

“Oh. My. God!” Kara cried. “Is that _Richard_ I see before me?”

Richard laughed and walked over to hug her, squeezing her hard. She squealed and hugged him back, smushing her cheek against his chest.

“I haven’t seen you in ages!” she cried when they pulled away. “What’ve you been doing?”

“Oh, you know, just taking photos and traveling to Italy,” he replied nonchalantly. “Just the normal stuff.”

“Italy?! That’s amazing!” She slapped his chest and he gasped, placing his hand over the spot she’d hit. “What brought you there?”

“Studying abroad. And I also just really wanted to get a ton of photos of the landscape.”

“God, that’s valid,” she laughed. “The landscape and the architecture is so gorgeous there.”

“It absolutely is,” he agreed.

“Where’s Connor?” Kara asked, looking around the room.

“He had to help Gavin with something,” North told her. “I think he said it was about getting the handcuffs off Gav’s graduation cap?”

“Handcuffs?” Kara asked, brows raised in shock.

“Yeah,” Tina chimed in. “He got his degree in criminology, hence the handcuffs.”

“Oh! I remember Connor mentioning that once or twice,” she mused, tapping her bottom lip. “That’s cool.”

“Why the hell are they taking so long?” North muttered, looking toward the door.

“Probably cuz they’re having sex,” Tina mumbled, typing something into her phone.

“ _What?!_ ” Kara shouted, staring at her.

“Tina, shut up!” North hissed. “They aren’t having sex!”

“They totally are.”

“Why? Because of all the awkward shit they’ve pulled the past six months you think they’d have the gall to actually have sex with all of us right out here in the living room?”

“Well, yeah.”

“What the hell has been going on since I left?” Kara asked, taking a seat beside Tina on the sofa.

“Oh, God, so much,” Tina gushed, turning to look at her as she tucked a leg under her. “We met them at the amusement park, as you know. By the way, hi, I’m Tina.” They briefly shook hands before she continued. “They kissed, they had brunch the next day, they went on dates at Jericho and made out in the bathroom–”

“Tina!”

“Sorry, sorry. Anyway, they’ve been increasingly more… how would you put it?” she asked, looking up at North.

“Lewd.”

“Meh, close enough,” she said with a shrug.

“How so?” Kara asked. “I’d never expect that from Connor.”

“Gavin’s been a horrible influence,” Tina teased, patting her knee. “Anyway, it mostly started over winter break. Gav spent the holidays with Con and his family and they kinda got walked in on without actually getting walked in on.”

“How–?”

“The first thing I heard when I walked in the door was ‘Fuck! Pull it out! Pull it out!’” Richard said as he walked over, drink in hand.

“Oh no,” Kara gasped, covering her mouth with both hands.

“But they weren’t having sex,” he clarified. “They were trying to get a new earring into Con’s ear–”

“Connor got a _piercing?!_ ”

“It looks good though,” North muttered, shrugging.

“But I did walk in on them making out,” Richard added before taking a long drink.

“Who was next?” Tina asked, looking around the room.

“Us!” Markus called out, raising his hand. “They were building an IKEA bookshelf but we didn’t know that when we heard Connor scream about how hard something was.”

“Oh, _God_.”

“Then I heard them banging around in Gavin’s room and they were yelling about a toy not working,” Tina chimed in. “It was a stud finder and they were trying to actually hang up Gav’s Star Trek shit.”

“Then Josh got the St. Patrick’s Day disaster,” North groaned, shuddering.

“Do I even want to know?”

“Yes,” Tina said, grinning from ear to ear. “Yes, you do.”

“They said they were trying to make homemade slime… while drunk,” Josh grumbled, leaning against the top of the sofa to look down at Kara. “We’re still finding green glitter around the place.”

“Jesus Christ.”

“And then they fell asleep in the shower.” He brought his drink up to his lips but paused for dramatic effect. “Fully clothed.”

“Oh my God!”

“And only a few weeks ago I overheard them bitching about something not fitting and trying not to break the bed,” North sighed. “They were trying to put new sheets on Con’s bed, but they were a size too big all because Con wanted blue and not purple.”

“Oh, God. Is he That Gay now?” Kara asked, the TM symbol heavily implied.

“Oh, he was before you left,” North assured her. “He’s just gotten more open about it after getting with Gav.”

“And Gav’s no better,” Tina added.

“He’s really not,” North agreed.

“He’s bi,” Tina explained to Kara. “But he’s been so closed off for so long due to his family. But now that he’s here, and with Connor, he’s been embracing it a lot more.”

“Oh! That’s great.” Kara grinned, holding a hand over her heart. “I’m so glad Con’s so happy now. I’d love to tell him myself, but…” She trailed off and shrugged.

“But he’s gettin’ dicked down,” Tina finished, making Kara turn beet red.

“Stop it!” North chastised her. “He is not!”

“Listen.”

As much as they didn’t want to, everyone quieted down and strained their ears. They could hear voices coming from Connor’s room, but they couldn’t quite make out what they were saying.

“The fact that they’re being so _unnaturally_ quiet is proof that it’s actually sex this time,” Tina muttered, taking a deep sip of her drink.

“You don’t know that for sure though,” North whispered, scowling at her.

“You wanna go listen in and prove me right?” she challenged.

“No,” she grumbled, looking away. Tina smirked and brought her cup back up to her lips.

“Can we please play some music or something?” Simon begged. He was still holding Alice, bouncing her gently. Luther hadn’t said a word since they’d arrived, but he’d also been diligently watching over Alice as Simon and Markus played with her, ready to step in if something came up.

“Please!” Markus seconded.

“Go right ahead!” North yelled at them.

Markus got up and plugged his phone into the stereo. Soon the room was filled with music and everyone got back to casual conversation versus eavesdropping on their roommates. Kara was grateful for the change and immediately felt more at ease.

A few minutes later Connor’s bedroom door opened and he stumbled out, his hands fussing with his hair. He made eye contact with North and flushed a deep scarlet when she smirked knowingly at him.

“Connor!” Kara cried, standing up from her spot on the sofa.

“Kara?!” He gasped and ran over, enveloping her in a tight hug. She hugged him back just as tight, the two of them rocking back and forth. Gavin slunk into the room while they were distracted and went over to the alcohol selection.

“Gav!” He turned around and smiled at Connor who was waving him over. “I want you to meet Kara!”

“One sec!” He quickly poured himself a drink and walked over. Kara immediately pulled him in for a hug, catching him off guard.

“I’ve heard so much about you,” she whispered, squeezing him hard.

“I’ve heard a lot about you too,” he murmured, pulling away to smile at her. “You’ve basically known Con your whole lives, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Please tell me all his embarrassing childhood stories.”

“With pleasure,” she purred. She looped her arm through his and they walked away, Gavin throwing Connor a smirk over his shoulder.

**…::-::…**

After the party died down and everyone started heading off to bed, Gavin finally pulled out his phone and read over the draft of his Instagram post once more. He already had the Twitter thread set up, all he had to do was add photos and hit post.

He looked down at Connor in bed, who was already asleep and curled up next to him. He sighed fondly and ran a hand through Connor’s hair. His boyfriend’s contented sigh made his heart clench. He couldn’t believe he’d gotten so lucky. How had his life turned around so drastically? When had life finally decided to work out in his favor?

Connor whined and pressed closer, his leg draping over Gavin’s. He smirked and flipped through all the photos that had been taken throughout the day, his free hand carding through Connor’s hair. Richard had sent him the proofs of his graduation photos a few hours ago. He just had to pick and choose which ones to use in the posts. Obviously the one of them kissing while holding the graduation cap out front, “Caution: Next Stop: Academy” loud and proud, front and center. The mini photo series of him flipping off the camera before the ceremony had even begun was a personal favorite. Shots with him and Tina, shots with him and Connor, shots of him, him, him. He’d never felt so important and loved in his life. It was honestly the best day of his life, and while he was sad it took so long for him to get there he was just glad it finally happened. He sniffled as he chose his five photos and copied and pasted the wall of text onto Instagram. Each paragraph was its own post, because he’d written down so much.

Finally, it was ready. He flipped through the photos one last time: his solo shot where he was fake scream-crying in celebration, his calmer shot with Connor, him and Tina, and finally his two kisses with Connor. He was most proud of those, and he wanted to save the best for last. He took a deep breath, his thumb hovering over the post button. He slowly let the breath out and clicked the button. The homepage popped up, the loading circle of doom cycling quickly, and then it was up. His photos, his words, all out in the world and laid bare. He quickly shut his phone off and set it on the bedside table to ignore any and all incoming messages. He turned the light off and slid under the sheets, turning to face Connor in the dark.

“I love you,” he whispered to him, running his fingers through his hair. “So much.” Connor smiled and Gavin closed his eyes, holding onto his boyfriend’s hand as he fell asleep.

**…::-::…**

_“Today I graduated from college. Something I had been told from a very young age I would never be able to do. I received my bachelor’s in criminal justice and I’m going to the police academy in September. I spent the day surrounded by my friends – my found family – and my boyfriend. He’s also something I never thought I’d have in my life, especially after hiding who I was for so long. My family was not very open-minded, my mother couldn’t stand the idea of having a queer son, and my father wanted me to be more like my brother, to be smarter. I always thought I was stupid, inferior, unworthy of love and affection and friendship, all because I wasn’t as smart as my brother. Now, I’ve realized I’m just a dumbass 😂 but I AM smart. I’m not a genius by any means, but I’m smart in my own way._

_“So, after picking myself up with the help of a teacher and a counselor, I got myself away from my toxic family and began fighting to get myself a better future. I won’t lie to you: it wasn’t easy. There were times I felt like I had hit below rock bottom. I worked three jobs while going to classes full time. There were some weeks I couldn’t afford to eat anything other than ramen noodles or fast food cheeseburgers. I was homeless for a while, too, living out of my shitty car I’d bought for $500. But I finally managed to scrape together enough money for an apartment, and things started to get a little better. I made friends, one even moved in with me, and then a literal fucking sign pointed me at_ **_@conman800_ ** _at Cedar Point, and my life found new meaning._

_“I found the love I never thought I’d have. I found someone who loves me despite my faults, sometimes even FOR my faults, who loves to be with me and spend time with me, who wants the best for me and to see me succeed. He loves me for who I am, and yet the dingus thinks I’m going to forget about him when I go to the academy. Connor, I could never forget about you. I could never replace you with someone else because there isn’t going to BE anyone else after you. You’re my forever and I love you beyond words._

_“Now that the sappy shit is out of the way, I want to say this:_  
_“1. to anyone who thinks they’re stuck in a tough situation and can’t get out: you absolutely can because you’re stronger than you think._  
_“2. to anyone feeling trapped in a toxic relationship: you can escape, but you’ll need help from someone you can trust implicitly. It will be difficult, but you can get out and you can be free. Be brave, and put yourself first._  
_“3. to anyone who feels like they aren’t smart enough or that you don’t deserve a higher education: there are plenty of dumbasses in college already who got in and some even got full athletic scholarships. 😅 I’m joking (mostly). But you are definitely smarter than you think and more capable than you can imagine._  
_“4. to those who think they’re going to die alone: love comes in many forms. Romantic love is not the key to happiness. The love of a pet, of a sibling, of a friend or role model or family member, or even from a random dog on the street who’s just SO HAPPY to see you can be more than enough. I just happened to get lucky.  
“5. finally, to anyone who has been in my position, or is currently in my position, I just want you to know that it gets better. It will take longer than you think, and it will take a lot of hard work and tears, but it does get better.”_


End file.
